Bonneville player’s helmet: horrific or humorous?

This video of Bonneville High School player Bryan Burns getting his helmet twisted 180 degrees has gone viral. While the initial impulse is to laugh — or gawk — there’s a reason it’s no laughing matter: safety.

National high school rules state that if a player’s helmet accidentally comes off during a play, and it is not due to a foul by an opponent, the player must sit out one down. However, if he loses his helmet due to a foul, a penalty is enforced and the player need not leave the game.

But if the helmet is twisted around backward? A penalty if it’s a face mask, but play continues.

It appears at that at the end of the play, Burns’ helmet was knocked off.

Injuries occur all the time in football. However, some are much scarier than others. Watch a player flopping his legs after swallowing his tongue, for instance. I’ve seen it. Fortunately, the player was assisted by a good training staff and all was well.